A Humiliating Broken Engagement

"Conscience!" Xiao Yan felt greatly comforted. All those years of effort spent nurturing her meridians hadn't been wasted.

Silently keeping Xiao Xun'er's kindness in his heart, Xiao Yan decided he would help nurture her meridians for a few more years in the future.

At the Dou Qi stage, there were basically no methods of external assistance. The method of nurturing one's meridians was an especially useless one.

It took time and effort, yet the effects were negligible.

Cultivation at this stage depended mainly on one's personal aptitude.

Still, this was about all Xiao Yan could do for his good little sister.

Xiao Xun'er was only at the ninth stage of Dou Qi now. That wasn't particularly fast.

Thinking about how quickly he had cultivated, only to fall even faster, Xiao Yan couldn't help feeling discouraged.

Xiao Xun'er was steadily progressing now. That was better than climbing high only to fall hard.

[In the evening, Xiao Zhan told you that guests would arrive tomorrow, leaving you somewhat curious.]

[The next day, you met the three guests whom the Xiao Clan had received with great ceremony.]

[The old man was a seven-star Great Dou Master, the young man possessed the strength of a five-star Dou Zhe, and the young woman among the three was the most exceptional.]

Her glossy black hair was bound by a golden hairband, while her exquisite features came together perfectly on the oval face unique to a beauty.

Her delicate brows were like a painting, and her large, watery eyes seemed able to speak. She had alluring cherry lips and a small, delicate nose.

Green jade pendants hung from her tender earlobes. As they gently swayed, they gave off a crisp jade chime, abruptly revealing an air of noble grace.

Beneath her green uniform, her smooth, well-rounded long legs made her appear exceptionally tall.

Her plump jade-like legs were clad in white stockings, captivating the soul.

She looked several years younger than the young man, yet she already possessed the strength of a three-star Dou Zhe. Her cultivation talent was extraordinary.

[Only through your conversation with Xun'er did you learn that the young woman was your fiancée, Nalan Yanran.]

[Urged on by Nalan Yanran, the old man helplessly revealed the purpose of their visit.]

[It turned out that Nalan Yanran had come under the orders of the Yunlan Sect's leader, bringing a fourth-grade medicinal pill, the Qi Gathering Powder, to break off your engagement.]

[Five years ago, she had been accepted as a disciple by the Yunlan Sect's leader and was essentially being groomed as the next leader of the Yunlan Sect.

The Yunlan Sect's rules stated that one could not have entanglements with men before becoming the leader.]

[This engagement had been arranged over a decade ago, and almost none of the Xiao Clan's younger generation knew of it. After asking the elders beside them, their expressions immediately became wonderfully varied, and mocking gazes rained down upon you.]

[Faced with your fiancée's forceful demand to break off the engagement, you chose...]

[A: Gladly agree. Compared to a fiancée who doesn't like you, the Qi Gathering Powder is worth quite a bit of money.]

[B: Fly into a rage. The Yunlan Sect's young sect leader is worth only one Qi Gathering Powder? At least ten!]

[C: Refuse the medicinal pill and refuse to break off the engagement.]

Looking at the first two choices, Xiao Yan was speechless.

No matter how useful the Qi Gathering Powder was, it was only meant for condensing a Dou Qi vortex. It was completely useless for his situation, so what was the point of taking it?

Besides, given his status as trash, even if he took it, would the clan give it to him?

It was true that the Xiao Clan's leader was his father, but there were also three elders of considerable influence holding him in check.

By comparison, Xiao Yan could only choose C. At least it looked like it had some backbone.

[After you spoke, one of the three great elders immediately berated you. Now that you had become trash, you had no place to speak here at all.]

[Without changing expression, you refuted him with reason. After all, you were the person whose engagement was being broken.]

[But as trash, your words carried little weight. At the crucial moment, Xiao Xun'er spoke up for you.]

[The three great elders immediately lost all their arrogance and fell silent helplessly.]

Xiao Yan was somewhat surprised. "Just what is Xiao Xun'er's background? Even if she's become the Xiao Clan's second greatest genius, she shouldn't carry that much weight, should she?"

According to what he had learned from the simulation, Xiao Xun'er was not his biological younger sister. More precisely, she wasn't even a member of the Xiao Clan, but had merely been fostered there.

[Having gained the chance to speak, you questioned Nalan Yanran. Did Elder Nalan know about this matter of breaking off the engagement?]

[After receiving her answer, you once again refused to dissolve the engagement on the grounds that it had been arranged by the elders, and without the elders speaking, no one dared dissolve it.

As you spoke, you cast a cold glance at the three elders.]

[With such a heavy accusation placed upon them, the three elders dared not make another sound. The Xiao Clan's rules were extremely strict; if they spoke again, they would no longer be qualified to remain elders.]

[Nalan Yanran's pretty face turned livid as she demanded to know what it would take for you to agree to dissolve the engagement.]

[If you thought the compensation was too little, she could add another three Qi Gathering Powders. In addition, she could allow you to join the Yunlan Sect to cultivate.]

[Faced with even greater compensation, you chose...]

[A: Gladly accept. Entering the Yunlan Sect to cultivate is the dream of countless people.]

[B: Frown. One spot is too few; there must be two. As you speak, glance at Xiao Xun'er.]

[C: Fly into a rage!]

After looking over the choices one by one, Xiao Yan sighed inwardly.

What use was joining the Yunlan Sect?

If the Yunlan Sect could solve his cultivation problem, then with his former cultivation talent, Nalan Yanran would never have come to break off the engagement.

As for the second choice, taking a girl along to cultivate—was that meant to needle Nalan Yanran and the Yunlan Sect? He had just had his engagement broken off, and he was already bringing another girl to the Yunlan Sect.

With Xiao Xun'er's beauty and his own strength of merely three stages of Dou Qi, he feared he would be beaten to death before long.

Xiao Yan silently chose the normal option, C.

After being humiliated over this broken engagement and cursed at for more than three years, Xiao Yan felt he had become a dead pig unafraid of boiling water.

But if his father, the clan leader, had a son whose engagement had been broken off like this, he feared Xiao Zhan would not only find it difficult to remain clan leader, but would also struggle to maintain a foothold in Wutan City.

[You flew into a rage, wishing you could kill Nalan Yanran!]

[Nalan Yanran was startled, but seeing how quickly you calmed down, she was somewhat confused and once again invoked her teacher, the leader of the Yunlan Sect.]

[You were so angry not because you had lost a talented and beautiful wife, nor because you had suffered the humiliation of having your engagement broken off at your doorstep.

Rather, Nalan Yanran's public breaking of the engagement would implicate your father, the clan leader. As the Xiao Clan's leader, he would no longer be able to keep his footing in Wutan City.]

[After Nalan Yanran understood this, she did not insist that you immediately break off the engagement.

To ensure that Xiao Zhan would not lose too much face, she asked you to agree to compete at the Yunlan Sect three years later.

If you lost, she would become your servant; if you won, you would have to dissolve the engagement.]

[Xiao Zhan rose in fury. Given your circumstances, this agreement was simply an insult to you, but Nalan Yanran no longer wished to yield.

Someone had to bear the consequences of breaking the engagement. If not for Xiao Zhan's dignity, she could forcefully dissolve the engagement right now and announce it to the world.]

[Looking at your silence...]

Nalan Yanran shouted coldly, "Since you are unwilling to let Uncle Xiao lose face, then accept the agreement. Three years from now or right now—which do you choose?"